Banksy calls for shoplifting

On Friday (11/19/2022) Banksy posted a photo of a shop window of a well-known fashion chain in London on his Instagram account. A well-known Banksy motif is shown oversized behind the mannequins: It shows the “Flower Thrower” – a hooded man throwing a bouquet of flowers. In addition, some items of clothing were printed with other works of art. On the shop window, the fashion house advertises with the slogan: “Guess x Brandalised with graffiti by Banksy.”

The visibly displeased artist wrote that his art was used without asking him. And further: “Beware pickpockets: Please go to Guess on Regent Street. How can it be wrong if you do the same with her clothes?”

Lots of likes for Banksy’s call

So far, more than 900,000 users have given the indirect call for shoplifting a “Like”. The British BBC reported that shortly after the publication of the Instagram post, the windows of the Guess branch were covered.

The fashion chain had apparently expected a lot from the appeal of the Banksy name for its new collection: it was said to be inspired by the artist’s spray art. Creative director Paul Marciano previously stated, “Banksy’s graffiti have had a phenomenal impact that resonates throughout popular culture.”

The collection was created in cooperation with the company Brandalised, which wanted to offer “Banksy fans affordable graffiti collectibles”. Clothing with Banksy motifs is a tribute to his work from the fashion industry, according to the company. Brandalised advertises on its website with photos of Banksy works and products. However, it is unclear whether Bansky ever agreed to this.

Banksy causes a stir

It’s not the first time that Banksy has taken spectacular action against the marketing of his art. In the autumn of 2018, he had his ‘Girl with Balloon’ shredded into thin strips using a mechanism hidden in the frame at auction at Sotheby’s – moments after a European collector sold it for a million pounds (around 1 .2 million euros) had bought at auction.
The identity of the well-known British street artist is still unknown, only this much is known: he apparently comes from the port city of Bristol. Most recently, he immortalized himself with several graffiti on war-damaged buildings in Ukraine – his way of showing solidarity.

suc/fab (dpa, Reuters)